When I started turkey hunting with my grandpa back in the mid nineties, all I carried was a gun, 5 shells, a box call and a face mask. No gloves, no vest or seat. I remember the first vest had just two big pockets in the front and seat about 1/16" thick. I thought it was awesome. Of course now I have a vest full of pot calls, diaphrams, and locator calls.

I started hunting with camo shirt, camo shirt for a facemask, shotgun(enough shells for gun only),dark brown khacki pants, a diaphragm mouth call and that's all. I used the moon to guide me through fields, and I didn't drink water till end of day. Now I can't go anywhere without my camelbak!

I have not used a vest for a couple a years now. I hunt the Beard Buster Run and Gun belt with additional Beard Buster slate holder on other side.. I dont carry alot of calls.. 2 pots, 3 strikers, owl in my belt.. The box call holder is used for water bottles and it has a nice pouch where thermacell fits. I have my mouth calls in my pocket with a trumpet and tube around my neck and my crow is tethered in my old tom shirt.

ICDEDTURKES wrote:I have not used a vest for a couple a years now. I hunt the Beard Buster Run and Gun belt with additional Beard Buster slate holder on other side.. I dont carry alot of calls.. 2 pots, 3 strikers, owl in my belt.. The box call holder is used for water bottles and it has a nice pouch where thermacell fits. I have my mouth calls in my pocket with a trumpet and tube around my neck and my crow is tethered in my old tom shirt.

Tom
How is the seat on the belt for walking does it store away nice?
Hobie

I started with a vest probably because of my quail hunting on the desert in my youth. I followed my dad with his vest chasing quail through the sand dunes and mesquite clumps. Dad used a 20 GA pump and I packed the shells water and quail he shot so a vest came natural to me. I do only pack what I need now (due to the weight) but I like having the vest and seat for the wet weather we have up here.

Didn't get a vest till I was old enough to have made money to buy my own. It was a treebark vest with thin shoulder straps and the stiches popped and needed repair if you carried a heavy tom out in it. Never hunted without a vest since unless it was raining. On rainy days I just put a trumpet around my neck and a mouth call in my jaw. Sure you don't need all the trappings but you don't really need more than one shell either......

On my hunting trip in the mountains, I ditched my vest. It was nice going lightweight, not so nice sitting on rocks and slopes without a cushion. It did make me reconsider the vest when I hunt here in Louisiana (ground is a little softer than the Rockies).

I started off with no vest...I think this was the first year I actually brought my vest everyday...as long as I'm out there it doesn't matter if I have it or not, all I need is my facemask or a burnt tree , shells and a gun...I still don't wear gloves, unless I'm out west ( it's cold lol)...hell, I'd wear blue jeans if had to...

In 36 seasons, I've never owned a vest; I carry wingbone on a lanyard which has a soft pouch which holds several diaphragms, a slate and striker in a shirtpocket, 3 20 gauge shells in gun, gloves in pocket and facemask which drops down from ballcap. Small foam pad clipped to belt with carabiner. Thermocell when needed in cargo pocket of pants. Compass on wrist. Decoys? Not for me.

I went to a fanny pack this year with a gobbler lounger. I hunt pretty slow, so I dont feel like a vest does anything for me at home, but add an extra layer of clothes and it's pretty warm down here. I carry dekes in a decoy bag with a shoulder strap when I use them, but they spend most of the season in the jeep. If I were to go with somebody else, I bring both and see what the want to do. I found I kill way more birds staying put instead of walking all over.

Let's see...I carry gun, decoys, calls (mouth, pot, box), tripod, camera, portable blind, extra cushion seat and a vest...oh and there's a beautiful 11 year old little girl following my every step. As long as she's with me, I'd carry a house if I had to. When it's just me..it's just the vest and gun.

Im a self taught turkey hunter so at first I got caught up in the outdoor channel way of hunting and all the new gadgets that I thought I needed. After the first few years of trial and error I figured out real quick that you don't need half the junk that tv and other outlets try to make you think you need. I do still hunt with a vest but when it gets hot the vest is the first thing to go.